Octopus Energy

A UK household on Octopus Energy's Happy Hours tariff has found a counterintuitive quirk: plugging in the electric car triggers a cheaper per-kW rate, so it works out more economical to run the house battery and appliances instead of charging the vehicle. With the tariff dropping the price from 33p to 8p per kW once the car draws power, the user says either way it amounts to free electricity.

Octopus has purchased 43 MW of solar farms in Ireland, expanding its renewable energy portfolio in the country. The deal adds utility-scale solar capacity to its investments as demand for clean power assets grows across Europe.